Friday, September 8 2006 12:01 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Quetta(Pakistan): The sons of a prominent Pakistani tribal chieftain said today (Sept 8, 2006) the Government killed their father with chemical weapons, and demanded an international investigation.

Nawab Akbar Bugti, 79, died Aug. 26 when his remote cave hide-out collapsed in an unexplained explosion while security forces were searching for militants in the area.

His eldest son, Jamil Akbar Bugti, demanded that international human rights groups exhume his father's body for tests to determine what caused his death.

"We say that chemical weapons have been used to kill Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, and only international organizations can prove our claim," Jamil said as he and his brother held a news conference at the family's home in Quetta, capital of the southwestern province of Baluchistan.

Bugti, a former Baluchistan governor, had led an often violent campaign for more wealth from resources like oil and gas extracted from his impoverished province.

Protests over his death have left several dead in Baluchistan and repeatedly paralyzed the province.

Academics and commentators across Pakistan have criticized the government's handling of the case.

The Government has accused Bugti of terrorism, but says it had no intent to kill him and is still investigating the blast.

Yesterday, Minister of State for Information Tariq Azeem Khan said the Government has no objection to exhuming Bugti's body for tests.